There are many patients susceptible to heart arrhythmias who are at risk of sudden death. For example, patients undergoing a coronary artery occlusion and myocardial infarction are at substantial risk of tachyarrhythmia for several weeks following the coronary artery occlusion. Such patients are generally hospitalized but can be discharged earlier if there is a practical means to protect them from life threatening arrhythmias. One such practical means includes the implantation of an automatic defibrillator. However, patients may also be discharged prior to such an implantation if an external defibrillator, such as, for example, a wearable defibrillator, is available in case they experience a life-threatening tachyarrhythmia.
There are also patients who are placed at an inordinate risk due to the surgery required for implanting an implantable defibrillator. For such patients, implantation would preferably be avoided so such an inordinate risk could be avoided or otherwise mitigated.
Wearable defibrillators are often used to help people who have an increased risk of experiencing a life threatening arrhythmia due to specific heart conditions. Such wearable defibrillators are typically configured to provide treatment if a life threatening arrhythmia is detected. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,928,690, 5,078,134, 5,741,306, 5,944,669, 6,065,154, 6,097,987, 6,253,099, 6,280,461 and 6,681,003, disclose wearable defibrillators. The entirety of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,928,690, 5,078,134, 5,741,306, 5,944,669, 6,065,154, 6,097,987, 6,253,099, 6,280,461 and 6,681,003, are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Wearable defibrillators are typically used to help patients that either cannot risk an implantation of a defibrillator or are awaiting such an implantation. Occasionally, analysis performed by the wearable defibrillator may falsely indicate that the patient is experiencing an arrhythmia that requires treatment. In such circumstances, the wearable defibrillator generates an audible alarm that is configured to stop if a patient provides a required response, such as, for example, pressing one or more response buttons. If a patient fails to press such buttons or otherwise provide a required response, the device may assume the patient is unconscious and is experiencing a condition requiring treatment. Occasionally, a bystander who is unfamiliar with a wearable defibrillator may interfere with the device by intentionally pressing the response buttons or otherwise providing a response which delays or inhibits patient treatment.
The present invention is directed toward overcoming one or more of the above-mentioned problems.